


Udaarata

by Silberias



Category: Jodhaa-Akbar (2008)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fix-It, Jodhaa goes with because of reasons, Sujamal goes to Jalal at the outset, bemused Jalal, cunning Jodhaa, why bother with small potatoes like Sharifuddin when you can bend the ear of the Emperor?, wily Sujamal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 20:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17608286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silberias/pseuds/Silberias
Summary: "A jewel removed from its setting does not sparkle as it should."Jodhaa convinces Sujamal to go to the Mughal Emperor for aid in his claim to Amer. She goes with him, her shock and hurt almost as great as Bhai-sa's--but she also has the feeling that Sujamal may need one last bargaining chip as he faces the Emperor.





	Udaarata

**Author's Note:**

> Title means "generosity" in Hindi
> 
> I have like six or seven different plot-line type things in various states of incomplete fic or incomplete ideas but this is the one that feels the most finished. I just want people to read it and enjoy it. Very much a fix-it kind of fic!

Jodhaa's eyes burned as her father announced that he intended to pass over Sujamal for Bhagwan Das. She did not weep as the gathering concluded, but her shock was so great that she could not even pretend any shyness or modesty as her father also reaffirmed her betrothal to Ratan Singh. It was not fair--it was dishonorable, even, to the memory of Sujamal's father.

She managed, barely, to convince Sujamal not to ride away in anger but Jodhaa knew her brother--her uncle's son, the rightful heir--would not be tied to Amer for long. Without his birthright what true loyalty did he owe to anyone? No one in Amer would fight for him, and Bhagwan Das had not bowed in deference to their cousin-brother's claim on the throne. It was injustice. It was savage. Her father had promised her, when she had spoken of Sujamal's future, that her brother would retain all of his rights and expectations--and Father had chuckled when she had expressed her relief that with his promise she could marry Rajkumar Ratan Singh with a glad heart.

Her father had never intended to let her have her way, no matter how he doted on her. He had never intended to honor his promise to Sujamal's father.

Jodhaa prayed most of the night, startling awake at dawn with an answer. Sujamal would hate it, he would complain the whole time-- but it was their only chance. She would convince her brother to steal away with her and ride for the Mughal emperor's palace in secret. Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad would help them--he was a fair man. He had spared the king of Mankeshwar, after all, and so he must of course be just and merciful to all who came before him.

He kept his promises.

Sujamal would be either too deferent or antagonistic if he went alone, though, so hence she must travel with him. It would look like they had run away for some reason. Gossips would no doubt fill in that reason, but Jodhaa knew that she could not obey her father, and marry Ratan Singh, if he as the king could not give a promised future to her beloved foster brother.

"Sujamal, have you spoken to Father?" she asked quietly as they walked together several hours later that same day. Perhaps he had taken a stand, fought for his place. Even if he shared the throne with Bhagwan Das it would allow him to claim his legacy and give him a place in life. Surely he saw he needed a place in life--he had often spoken that he intended to wait to marry so he knew what he could truly offer as a husband.

"I have not, and I will not. There is nothing to say, when he has arranged everything so only accepting silence may answer him."

Jodhaa threaded her arm into his and rested her head on his shoulder. Her heart ached but her mind was resolute. Sujamal would see to her future, but first she would have to see to his.

"Then we must go to the Mughals, you must speak to their Emperor-- _bhai-sa_ ," she clutched at him when he made to tear himself away from her in shock and outrage, "you must. Father has sidestepped the issue so completely you cannot appeal to anyone in Rajputana. If you mean to claim your birthright you must take Amer by whatever means are left to you."

"I am not some dog for those Mughals to kick--" her brother hissed back at her.

"And you will not be. Their Emperor showed mercy and favor to the king of Mankeshwar, he spared him and only asked that he swear loyalty. He did not humiliate him, even after he defeated him in battle."

Sujamal quieted, angry at the world and its hurts, and they walked in silence for some time after that.

"The King of Ajabgarh will not let your betrothal stand if you run away in the night with your uncle's son," he said eventually, his tone resigned as he decided against fighting her. He was her champion and had always supported her, always taken her side. Perhaps he knew no other way.

"You will find me a husband once Amer is yours," she replied, confident as ever.

* * *

 

Two weeks later they waited for their turn to speak to the Emperor of Hindustan. Jodhaa wore the last clean gown she had in her pack with the few jewels she had taken with her on the journey. Nothing near grand enough to wear before an imperial court but enough to show she had some self respect for how she appeared. The journey had been hard, fleeing in the scant light of dawn the day after they hatched their plan, and Jodhaa had dressed as a masked and turbaned man to avoid unnecessary attention on the road.

She had only told Neelakshi that they were going away to secure Sujamal's throne and had held the other woman tightly while begging for her to stall for time. Father would be enraged at their disappearance.

Now the Mughal court parted to allow them to stand before the Emperor. Jodhaa had forced her brother to memorize a speech that would hopefully grant them a private audience so that the matter was not for the consumption of the courtiers and lords alike. As Sujamal spoke, his impassioned tone covering up any hesitations that still lived in his heart, Jodhaa looked out of the corners of her eyes at the grand pavillion they stood in. Everything was richly painted or inlaid, the floors beautiful mosaics that danced under her gaze.

Only for a moment did she let her eyes rise to glimpse the Emperor where he sat above the court. He had a stern set to his face as he listened, and he seemed perfectly at ease on his throne--such was his poise that a tassle of pearls hanging from his cap did not shiver or twitch with any movement of his. Not even the wind dared touch him, it seemed.

For a moment she was frightened but quickly comforted herself: by running away she had lessened her value as both a hostage and an example, the same with Sujamal. Besides, the future Father had had planned for both of them was vanished to ashes.

"Your words intrigue me, Rajkumar Sujamal. I would meet with you tomorrow to discuss this in greater detail than interests the court. You and your sister are welcomed under my roof tonight as my guests--my mother will make the arrangements and you may dine with her in her apartments."

They made the bows expected of them and were escorted away to the chambers of Mallika Makani.

The Empress was striking, emanating a venerable and compassionate air that filled her rooms with a kind of quiet strength. She smiled, not unkindly but not freely either, at them as they were shown in to meet her. _Hamida,_ Jodhaa somehow recalled. Her name was Hamida. She ordered her servants to fuss over them--sending both away to refresh themselves, their clothes dampened with sweet smelling water and stretched out under the sun to dry, and once she and her brother had washed the road away the Empress made pleasant conversation with them as evening fell about the places she had seen in the world and about Amer itself.

The sun was well-set when a servant announced that the Emperor wished to join his mother and her guests for their supper--a request that was obliged by his mother and left Jodhaa scrambling for a veil to cover herself with. She did not want to jeopardize Sujamal's chances by appearing brazen. Both of them had given up far too much to lose everything over a small matter of decorum and etiquette.

It turned into a fascinating interview between a pair of Mughals and a pair of Rajputs. The Mughals were more permissive towards their women, that much became clear when the Emperor alluded to not only his mother but also his childhood nurse having great rights of speaking and advising--rights that would have made Mother's eyes roll up into her head. Meanwhile the Rajputs were more willing to consider dividing power between brothers--it was then they learned the Emperor was willing to consider backing Sujamal, but only as a single claimant. He was not willing to muddy the waters of succession further by having two lords of Amer--one obligated to the Mughal empire and one clinging to the sovreignty of Amer.

Jodhaa did not speak much save when spoken to. She felt especially self-conscious in her now painfully simple attire. The Emperor and his mother wore elaborate jewels and their outfits were threaded with gold thread. Pearls and gems were affixed in strategic parts of the patterns, making them come alive in the candle light. Jodhaa felt she had made them look like paupers, begging a claim that was weak in everyone's eyes but hers and her brother's.

"When I was a boy I had an advocate, Bhairam Khan, who stood against the tides of time to allow me to grow up. He retook the throne my father left vacant. Without him I would have also been deprived of my own birth right," the Emperor was saying now, finally settling once more into the seriousness he'd evinced at court, "because of this I feel your claim is a rightful one, and your outrage is just. Bhairam Khan promised my father I would rule Hindustan, that I would unite all of Hindustan under my banner. King Bharmal promised, it seems, much the same to your father."

Sujamal seemed to suck in a breath he'd forgotten to take for too long--and tears welled up in Jodhaa's eyes in joy and hope. Joy that her brother had not wilted, had persevered in the face of his own pride as a Rajput--and hope that the Emperor would force Father to see things made right.

"But I will not intervene without the true and irrevocable support of another Rajput. I do not intend to give you the resources to take your place in the world only for you to turn on your heel to spit in my face, denouncing every Mughal and every Muslim who may die in the struggle."

Silence reigned down on them for an agonizing moment before someone spoke up. Jodhaa wondered who it could have been until she realized with a painful start _that it was her voice_ , "I will. I vouch for my brother." The eyes of the Empress sparkled then while the Emperor was taken aback for many moments. When he gathered his wits his tone was one of censure.

"And tomorrow you may say it was the lateness of the hour and the weariness of your journey, my lady, that led you to say such things. It must be permanent, whatever it is and whoever says it."

"What I say is permanent, I do not speak in riddles or nonsense and I am a person of my word," Jodhaa announced, remembering too late that her tone was too aggressive to be speaking to the only person who could help her brother. The Emperor did not take it too badly though, only clenching his jaw and nodding at her--murmuring a chivalrous enough apology for doubting her integrity, but also managing to establish that her word alone was not exactly enough to sway him. She seethed at his condescension because it was painfully practical: of course a sister would vouch for her brother, but a sister had little control over the fates of men.

The meal was a little awkward after that but for the most part the men recovered. The Empress watched Jodhaa with curious eyes though, trying to catch Jodhaa's gaze through the veil but ultimately without success. After the Emperor left Mallika Makani's servants escorted them to a small pair of rooms for the night and the answer suddenly came to Jodhaa as they were finally left by themselves.

"You must offer him my hand, as a token of your commitment and his to the bargain--he must lend support to his wife's brother, and you must be expected to give some deference to your sister's husband," she whispered, holding her brother's hand in an iron grip. Jodhaa's heart thundered in fear at the idea but it was clear that the Mughals needed a firm assurance that Sujamal was not merely using them for his own ends. It would also leverage his position among his new brethren of lords and kings beneath the Mughal banner--his sister would be Empress of Hindustan.

"He will dishonor you, force you to convert, lock you away from Lord Krishna forever. I cannot condemn you to live here just to get my throne, sister," Sujamal hissed back, agony writ across his face as he did so. Perhaps he saw it too. He intended to resist the temptation laid out before him. Jodhaa squeezed her fingertips into the meat of his arm, desperate.

"Then you must prohibit him from it--so long as I may worship in the privacy of my rooms and not convert I will cause him no trouble. Please, Sujamal, you must think of why we came here. Father has acted in bad faith towards both of us, and I know that if--if the Emperor tries to dishonor me you will come to champion me."

"You would be left alone in this den of serpents, I cannot--I cannot."

"You must, Sujamal. Please, think on it because we have precious little else to prove your sincerity."

With that they parted for the night and Jodhaa laid awake staring at the ceiling and praying that her brother reached the proper conclusion by morning. She would not be present at his meeting with the Emperor tomorrow, could not guide Sujamal through the murky waters he now faced. Perhaps the Emperor had seen that she was guiding their journey in equal or greater part to her brother--perhaps that was why he had surprised them at his mother's supper table, to privately get her measure as well.

Another part of her trembled at the idea-- _her idea_ \--of marrying a Mughal to secure the alliance. He was striking, and she would not have a hard time looking at him, but as his wife she would be required to give him his heirs--the quicker the better, for his forefathers were not exactly long lived and he would feel an urgency to secure his dynasty sooner than later. Jodhaa had had years to get used to the idea of wedding Ratan Singh, and _he_ did not come with the complication of being a Mughal.

She chose to take comforting refuge in the rumors that he had not forced the king of Mankeshwar to convert to Islam, that he even had Hindu advisors and ministers on his court now.

* * *

 

The Empress entertained her once more the following day, her calm energy letting Jodhaa breathe deeply enough to stay cool and collected. She wavered between hoping that Sujamal would persevere and convince the Emperor to give his support without any further assurances--and on the other hand she hoped that if her brother offered her hand then he secured her happiness and conditions.

"You should relax, my lady, men will talk the day away unthinking of those who wait upon them," the Empress said quietly, kindly even, when Jodhaa wiped away a tear that threatened to fall.

"I have disobeyed my father by coming here--given up my future," Jodhaa found herself admitting, "I must depend on Sujamal bhai-sa now, and I do not know if he has properly understood his responsibility. I ran away from home, from my duties, from a _betrothal_."

"Allah will judge your father for betraying his brother. Be assured that my son is no oathbreaker. You and your brother are honored guests here in Agra, and if you become permanent guests you will not be alone. The minister of the treasury, Todar Mal, is a Hindu and I am sure he would be pleased to have more compatriots here at court. His wife is lonely, as well."

It did not much comfort Jodhaa but she appreciated the sentiment--it came from a place of good will.

They waited until the afternoon had turned yellow and golden with impending sunset and finally a servant came to fetch Jodhaa. Sujamal did not appear himself, and the servant did not take Jodhaa to him. At last they came to an empty room divided by a curtain and the servant retreated outside, leaving Jodhaa alone.

She worried at her bangles and slowly walked around, gazing at the mosaics on the walls and sometimes even touching their elegant lines. The place was silent around her and she wondered what sort of room it was normally. Perhaps a council room? There were scroll stands in the other half of the room but she dared not disturb the curtains lest she get in trouble for snooping.

At last she heard footsteps and turned with a smile--surely it was Sujamal, coming bearing the Emperor's answer.

It was not her foster brother.

It was the Emperor of Hindustan who planted himself on the other side of the curtain and stared at her quietly.

Jodhaa straightened her spine and stood still with a poise she did not truly feel. The Emperor observed her without a word for a minute or more, and she struggled not to let her questions show on her face. What had happened today? Where was her brother?

"Your brother has obtained the help of the my armies to reclaim his father's throne," he finally said, "and has bartered your hand away in the process, my lady."

"I am sure he his thankful for your aid," Jodhaa said, eyes lowered now.

"You are burning with questions, I can see it. Ask, ask anything you like. I am at your disposal," the man said, gesturing widely and then tucking one hand behind his back.

Jodhaa swallowed thickly and decided to face the hardest ones first. When else would she get a chance to speak?

"Who has my brother chosen for me?"

"You have chosen for yourself, I think," he replied, "for Prince Sujamal is passionate and articulate but I do not believe he would think to offer his Hindu sister in marriage to a Muslim. At least not on his own, not without knowing her feelings. He cherishes you, and parting with you in this way causes him great pain." She squeezed her eyes shut in grief and gratitude both. Her brother had offered her hand, the only thing at his disposal now that they had run away from home, and the Emperor had accepted that offer.

She did not want to live here, as beautiful as it was, she wanted to spend her days in Rajputana.

She wanted to help Sujamal more, though, her heart whispered. She would walk through fire to help him.

"Are you well, my lady?" his voice was soft, concerned as first one then another tear fell. "If this arrangement is not your wish then speak it and we will negotiate another trade of promises." Jodhaa shook her head, waving away his words as best she could through the sudden tide of emotions that had crashed over her. She scrambled for something meaningful to say to him, though, to explain her tears. All brides were homesick, after all, and the revelation of it would not properly convey her feelings.

"I--I am not ready to...that is I do not _wish_ to convert. I will learn to be an obedient wife in all other ways, but I beg--" he stopped her words with a single, decisive gesture. His eyes were a little hard as he spoke but she got the feeling that that hardness was not directed at her.

"It has been decided that a temple will be built in your chambers, and you may worship as you please. If you find yourself...if Allah's light calls to you, as I...I hope it does...then your needs will be provided for. If you choose to worship your Hindu gods then you shall face no consequence of it nor will I permit any to censure you."

"And my traditions? If I wish to wear my clothes and jewels, observe festival days? What of the wedding itself?" The Emperor nodded, suddenly pleased at her pointed questions.

"I intend to have Todar Mal search out the proper holy men soon. If you consent to marry then we shall wed before the army is to march on Amer. There is much assembly to complete and levies to call up as well, so you may properly prepare," he hesitated now, suddenly awkward and shy, "do not fear, my lady, for I would never dream of depriving you of your traditions. A jewel that has been parted from its setting does not sparkle as it should, and is easily lost."

Jodhaa felt her shoulders sink in relief--this _was_ the man who had spared the king of Mankeshwar. She could not see her future as clearly as she once had but perhaps it would not be so terrible.

"Then--then I give my consent to the match."

His smile could have lit the room.

"I told your brother you would, I told him that making such provisions as these would gladden your heart towards me. He worried they would not be enough." Jodhaa looked down and away, both in modesty and to conceal sudden tears. Sujamal had worried for her. He had been most concerned for her well-being, understanding he filled the role of brother but also the head of the family now.

Mother and Father would never forgive them, would curse their names. Against Jodhaa's will the tears spilled down and a whimper escaped her lips as everything came crashing down at once. Her distress was not ignored--

"My lady, are you well?" her tears turned into weeping at his concerned tone, one arm tight across her belly and the other over her mouth. She'd never ever meant to be disobedient to her family--and she had betrayed them. This man she'd just agreed to marry would wage war on _her father_.

"Princess," the Emperor's voice was almost in her ear now and she looked up at him, so close she could almost count his eyelashes. She could feel his fingertips supporting her elbow, and the heat of his body so near to hers warmed and calmed her somewhat. Jodhaa wiped away her tears, though they continued to fall against her will.

"My lady, you must not fear," he murmured now, a sad twist to his mouth as he spoke, "we will learn one another, and learn to be content together."

"Shahenshah," she began, voice faltering, "please, show mercy to my father. I do not know--I do not know why he went back on his word to my uncle, but he is my _father._ If he dies my mother will commit sati--I would lose them both. Whatever price there is to pay...please." There. It was said, the words that Sujamal perhaps overlooked or purposely forgot. Her betrothed stared down at her for what seemed an age, his eyes searching her face, and then very slowly he raised one hand to rest lightly atop her head.

"Mercy, if it is truly mercy, has no price. Only reward," he finally said, nearly a whisper, "and as I said, a jewel removed from its setting does not sparkle as it should."

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! I would love to hear it! <3


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